


see what i'm saying

by taemints



Category: K-pop, NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, American Sign Language, Coming of Age, Deaf, Deaf Character, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan-centric, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT)-centric, Minor Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Minor Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Sign Language, Teen Romance, Teenage Drama, Young Love, haechan is profoundly deaf in both ears, mark has a superiority complex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-09-28 22:26:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17191442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taemints/pseuds/taemints
Summary: yoon oh jung, his childhood next-door-neighbor and his current best friend, said he had a music-fueled superiority complex, but mark argued that he simply knew what “good music” was, unlike everybody else, thank you very much.music theory-major mark lee is pushed out of his comfort zone by a deaf english major named lee donghyuck, and it brings out both the best and the worst in him.





	1. stupid unz unz unz music

**Author's Note:**

> hi!
> 
> so i wanted to make this fic for entertainment obviously, but also to bring awareness to the realities of deaf young adults. all of the struggles i portray in my writing are what deaf and hard-of-hearing people go through on a near-daily (based on my literal years of asl education and research). of course, these intensity and frequency of these struggles differ from person to person, but consider this a window into the world of the deaf.
> 
> if you take away anything from this story, please let it be that deaf people can do anything a hearing person can, except hear.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “ introduce yourself, weirdo, “ yoon oh chastised lightly.

“ the only thing i can’t do is hear. “  
\- marlee matlin

they met at a party.

now, mark lee was never much of a party person. he didn’t understand parties. their loud and boisterous ‘unz, unz, unz’ was a headache for him. the constant screaming and stupid chants of whatever ruckus was going on beside him made his ears ache. now that he was here, he decided that he would’ve much rather been at home with a cup of tea, and his glasses on, and a blanket wrapped around his lap as he hogged the loveseat in his small college dorm. he felt as if he had never truly valued the soft cadence of an opera voice, or the melodic progression of a strings solo, or the majestic rush of adrenaline an orchestra or choir could go from piano to pianissimo to fortissississimo in a matter of moments- until the same bland hook of a whispering “singer” ( _oh, big quotes_ , he thought, _on ‘singer’_ ) for about fifty repeats.

yoon oh jung, his childhood next-door-neighbor and his current best friend, said he had a music-fueled superiority complex, but mark argued that he simply knew what “good music” was, unlike everybody else, thank you very much. after all, mark was considered a music prodigy. he was accepted to some of the most competitive music departments in new york, and had played in numerous orchestras, and sang in a plethora of choruses, and conducted a few of both all by nineteen years old. he was respected- no, he was worshipped as a music prodigy. of course he knew good music. in fact, mark would argue that he knew great music. the rest of his generation just didn’t.

mark stood in the corner of the house with a water bottle tucked underneath his arm and his phone in his hands. he furrowed his eyebrows as he merely stared at the luminous screen before him. the baking video he watched played once, and then a million times over. the music, no matter how irritating it was to him, was the only thing that he could focus on. he was like that stupid moth and lamp meme that yoon oh kept showing him. music was the lamp. he was the moth.

“ hey, “ a voice spliced through the monotonous bass drops like a hot knife through butter, and mark looked up to speak of the devil. yoon oh socked him in the shoulder, eyes glinting with energy, mischief, and obviously a spirit or too. “ you enjoying yourself? “

“ what does it look like? “ mark asked with a deadpan expression. he sighed as he shoved his phone into his pocket, and grabbed his car keys from his pocket. “ yoon oh, i have a headache. i think i’m gonna go home. “

“ what! “ yoon oh shouted. mark winced as yoon oh eyed him incredulously. he socked mark in the arm. “ mark- come on. at least try to talk to other people. “

mark held his breath for a bit as he looked at yoon oh with a both disinterested and pleading look. this eye contact lasted, and mark’s own breath hitched for the sake of his sense of smell (because heaven knows how much yoon oh reeked of subpar alcohol). after what seemed to be forever, mark let out a sigh. 

“ i suppose, “ he conceded with a mutter.

the moment he consented, yoon-oh yanked him from the corner into the busy crowd of the fraternity house. they wove in and out like a thread in a larger quilt, and mark couldn’t help but feel like the single, lone fiber that stuck out from the rest of the crowd. he was of a different material, he supposed. his loneliness and lack of connection were innate. he stuck out in a neatly woven blanket, where every strand was adequately tucked into its surroundings, and he could feel the hand of fate threatening to pull him and cut him short at any moment. he was a martyr, he thought, if analogies were appropriate. he simply stuck out too much, and was punished for doing so.

“ we’re not going to see your boyfriend, are we? “ mark asked in a half-disinterested, half-pleading tone. mark loved taeyong, but he hated the pda that ensued when taeyong and yoon oh were together.

“ what? he brought a friend, “ yoon oh replied. mark felt another pull, and he hurried his pace. “ i think you’ll find him...like, interesting? “

“ that’s not comforting, coming from you. you and i have very different definitions of ‘interesting’. “

“ i’m aware. “

mark sighed before he was abruptly taken off course by somebody bumping into his shoulder. he turned around indignantly, his volatile mood flaring as he glared at the perpetrator, who, in hindsight, was really (really) attractive.

the first thing mark noticed was his tan skin. in mark’s experience, most of the people he met who were of korean or otherwise general asian descent sported mostly fairer or paler skin. he had never seen his female relatives pick foundation or colors from the darker ends of the spectrum, and he was reminded of his own mother when he watched snow white as a child. however, the young man’s skin glowed like bronze in the sunlight. no- the young man was the sun. between his dark eyes that still shone with solar radiance and his youthful features, mark thought him to be apollo. he possessed some otherworldly aesthetic that captivated mark in the moment, if not permanently imprinting his features into mark’s memory. mark held his breath as time slowed, hoping to hear the voice of the divine that he had crossed.

instead of hearing him speak, mark saw his hands move.

the magical moment ended as soon as it started as mark was pulled away by yoon oh. he could merely watch as the man put his knuckles on his chest and moved them counter-clockwise, with his palm facing his chest. his hands moved in a way unfamiliar and unnerving to mark, yet they were still of meaning, of some unknown code that mark felt isolated from. mark could only stand, accustomed to the land of the hearing, and dumb from it.

he was brought back to reality by yoon oh and taeyong’s couple cooing, and he whipped his head back over. he suppressed the feeling of the unknown deep down his throat and into his stomach, where it sat like lead, as he feebly listened on the clunky words of an intoxicated yoon oh, and the quiet and maternal words of his boyfriend, taeyong lee. they spoke about many things insignificant to mark- physics labs, math labs, all subjects that his teachers and parents had previously attempted to shove down his throat. trivial things, mark might add. music had the ability to connect everybody, no matter what background or disability.

he remembered that young man again.

“ where’s your friend? “ yoon oh asked.

taeyong looked besides him and shrugged. “ i think he went to go get water or something, “ he said. “ he’ll be back. “

mark looked at taeyong with curiosity. “ who’s your friend? “ he asked.

taeyong opened his mouth to speak before he made eye contact with somebody coming back across the room. mark’s line of sight only averted from taeyong when his hands started moving too. a curled up finger rubbed against his cheek, followed by his hand, with the thumb curled, tapping his chin. however, the hands were accompanied with his voice.

“ speak of the devil, “ taeyong said. he reached his arm out for a hug, and mark was blinded again by the sun.

he couldn’t help but stare, his retinas searing well as he stared at the star incarnate before him. he watched how his hands moved, captivated by the flow of an alien language as the lead in his stomach both resurfaced towards his esophagus and dropped lower towards his feet. taeyong’s voice interpretation fell on unhearing ears as mark stared at the silent one with a dumb expression. how long his idiotic staring lasted, he didn’t know, but it ended with a shove from yoon oh.

“ introduce yourself, weirdo, “ yoon oh chastised lightly.

mark jumped a bit at his now recognized rudeness, but he had reason for it. it wasn’t his fault that he was just so naturally drawn to this kind of ‘different’- that he could not comprehend the language, yet gawked anyway. it was like music to him. there were parts that he could not understand (as in, could not understand why the composer would compose something as idiotic or simpleton as that), but listened to anyway.

“ ah, sorry, “ mark mumbled. he watched as taeyong leaned in to listen before sending his hands flailing and flying. “ my name’s, uh. mark. i’m mark lee. “

mark noticed that the sun wasn’t shining upon him, and so he breathed in to raise his voice. however, the quick, on-cue look from the young man before him shut up him quickly, and mark was against compelled to gaze at his hands. taeyong’s verbal translation sounded foreign, but at least offered in a language he knew. mark synchronized the movement with the translated words as he watched those tan hands of the sun move.

“ nice to meet you, mark. i’m a freshman. my name is donghyuck lee. “


	2. mark thinks he has a superior tic-tac-toe strategy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “ you must’ve been here at the asscrack of dawn if you got nosebleed seats. “

“ for somebody with a musical superiority complex, you went real easily with me to this thing.”

“ it’s not a superiority complex! i just know good music from bad. “

mark lee sat in the passenger seat of yoon oh’s car as they cruised smoothly through interstate-478 (which, truly, was surprising for mark as well as yoon oh). mark leaned against the window of yoon oh’s black toyota camry, their plastic starbucks cups secured nicely in the cup holders. the news-related jargon of the radio news station seemed like white noise to mark as he dwelled on his own thoughts, from the commentary on the dull, yellow lights of the tunnel they just entered to how bitter of an aftertaste the coffee left on his tongue. in the background of his internal monologue, a soft violin was heard, accompanied by the ‘whoosh’ of cars and the echoed rumble of the tunnel. vancouver seemed like a soft melody to the harsh harmony of new york city, but mark wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

what he would, trade for the world, however, was being stuck in a car with yoon oh for an indefinite amount of time to go to a concert filled with rock artists that mark both didn’t know and wasn’t excited for. yoon oh was not only a natural extrovert, but he was one that was actively going out (see: dates with taeyong). mark was simply the unfortunate human that yoon oh found the easiest-slash-most available to drag out. this resulted in much unwanted third wheeling on yoon oh and taeyong’s dates. this was really no exception to that pattern. of course he was on his way to third-wheeling yoon oh and taeyong again, because what else would be doing on a friday, other than anything else in the world? he was the stray thread again, sticking up awkwardly in the midst of two lovebirds. he loved that- not.

“ maybe you’ll like some of the guys on the lineup, “ yoon oh suggested hopefully as the car slowed to a stop on a red light. they had since exited the freeway, and mark knew that their destination was close. “ at least they’re not my stupid ‘unz unz’ music. “

mark looked at him with an arched eyebrow. “ ‘stupid unz unz music’? “

“ your words, not mine. “

mark sighed as he looked out of the window once more. the car gently pulled him back as yoon oh pushed on the gas, and mark was about to fall victim once more to his thoughts before jaehyun spoke again.

“ donghyuck is going. “

mark sat up at the name. while it had never left donghyuck’s own lips, mark found the name to be incredibly soothing to the ear- like a soft aria. donghyuck. it had been a month since that party, and mark only saw donghyuck through pictures on taeyong’s instagram. they hadn’t communicated after that party, and mark was partially convinced that donghyuck had forgotten he existed entirely. mark didn’t have that pleasure. forgetting what donghyuck looked like- how his hands moved, how he smiled, how he did everything- would be like forgetting how the sun looked. 

mark’s interest was piqued for the rest of the car ride, and the promise of just another glimpse of the way donghyuck’s hands moved kept mark from complaining for the entirety of the purgatory known as ticket-buying and security. mark couldn’t lie and say that his face didn’t light up at the sight of haechan avidly signing with taeyong in the orchestra seats of the concert venue. however, he noticed something donghyuck had that wasn’t present at the party last month: a small, portable whiteboard with magnet markers and erasers. he stared at it for a bit. did donghyuck prepare that for him?

“ you must’ve been here at the asscrack of dawn if you got nosebleed seats, “ yoon oh said to taeyong as he wrapped his arm around his boyfriend. mark resisted the urge to gag. they have been dating for five years, and they were practically married already. they had the pda of a married couple, anyway. 

“ they’re not nosebleeds, dumb- this isn’t a sports function, “ taeyong responded with a chuckle. he looked over to donghyuck. who stared at their lips intently, before he pulled away from yoon oh and offered a translation. mark watched taeyong’s hands fly, and while they were definitely fluid, mark found them to be too sinewy for his liking. he much preferred to watch donghyuck’s hands. “ but yeah. been here since the asscrack of dawn. “

“ can he read lips? “ yoon oh asked, motioning to donghyuck with a nod of his head.

donghyuck squinted at yoon oh’s lips for a bit before turning and grabbing his whiteboard. he quickly popped off the cap of one of the markers and scribbled down his response.

_ barely _ , the whiteboard read. mark noted donghyuck’s handwriting; it was bubbly, but with a certain flow and pattern to it. it reminded mark of his own penmanship, where every stroke was consistent with the last.  _ only thirty-forty five % of english is lip-readable. it’s like russian roulette for me lol. i’ve memorized a few phrases tho. _

mark blinked at the other’s informal, text-like shorthand. he hadn’t expected that from donghyuck. it definitely caught him off guard, and it must’ve shown in his face as he felt a slap up the head by yoon oh. donghyuck laughed at the bit, and mark was tossed even more off guard. donghyuck’s laugh was very much deaf, like he had never heard his own voice before, but it was still filled with clear entertainment. mark was puzzled by him, but still intrigued. 

mark was pushed to sit by donghyuck and play tic-tac-toe with him on that portable whiteboard in order to avoid the awkwardness and third-wheeling that ensued when yoon oh started to publicly cuddle taeyong. of course, mark found himself winning in much more clever ways than donghyuck (even though there were only two wins for mark, as opposed to the five for donghyuck). 

the lack of correlation between mark’s superior tic-tac-toe strategy and his actual amount of wins was rendered insignificant as the concert rumbled to a start with some indie, punk-rock band that mark never knew existed. of course, mark tuned much of the concert out, and rather took to watching donghyuck watch the sign language interpreter, who was nested cozily off to the side. mark’s world was silent, the loud banging of the drums mere white noise and the horrific screeching of metal strings just rustling in the distance, as he watched donghyuck’s wide and twinkling eyes. to see donghyuck so thrilled to watch another person sign was like watching a child meet santa claus. donghyuck reminded mark of a child.

yet, he still felt isolated. donghyuck thought in a language mark could never decipher without strenuous studying. mark felt like the disabled one in this instance, and his gut wrenched with a feeling of inferiority worming deep into his mind. he was the outside, looking into a world where the flailing of arms and hands meant some abstract idea. mark much preferred his world of noise, of therapeutic music, but he couldn’t help but feel jealous that donghyuck had this world reserved especially for him, also. mark felt his eyes narrow against his will. he didn’t glare out of ill intention, but it was rather that his muscles convulsed and contracted into a mean-spirited look. it only dissipated the moment donghyuck met his eyes, and mark had forgotten it happened when donghyuck reached excitedly for his whiteboard.

_ next is my favorite band _ , donghyuck wrote.  _ they’re a deaf and hard-of-hearing band. they’re gonna be so cool! _

mark read the message with clear confusion. a deaf and hard-of-hearing band? how did that work? he read over the message again for any indication of context clues. why was deaf capitalized? what did hard-of-hearing mean? uncertainty and ignorance rumbled through his mind uncomfortably, and he once again felt dumb.

donghyuck took no notice, however, and instead diverted his attention to the next act. considering how mark took no interest in the artists that could hear (as, in his humble opinion, artists should be), his standards were immediately low for the deaf and hard-of-hearing band. it was a harsh statement, but it was true. he couldn’t possibly fathom how a deaf musician could impress him outside of playing on key and in tempo.

_ if donghyuck likes it _ , he thought,  _ then there must be some merit to these artists. _

_ donghyuck is deaf _ , another voice inside his head argued.

_ minor details _ , he rationalized.

mark crossed his arms and watched with an upturned chin, but he was soon lowered to merely gazing in awe. the avant-garde troupe onstage had a live vocalist who wasn’t half bad, and her hands contorted and twisted as mark noticed her resonant tone spreading throughout the crevices of the venue. his eyes were dragged to a bass player who must’ve been inhuman as she leaned against the large speaker, strumming along to the song, unfazed by the rapture that mark not only heard the loud bass of, but felt in his chest. mark felt like he was in a strange fever dream. a deaf and hard-of-hearing band was not supposed to impress him. hell, bands that weren’t deaf and had fully capable hearing could not impress him! this was different. mark shifted uncomfortably.

donghyuck must’ve noticed mark’s agape face, because mark heard the deaf laughter from beside him. he looked over to him, and donghyuck was already scribbling down a new message. curiously, mark looked over donghyuck’s shoulder, but was met with a swift turn away as donghyuck continued to write in secrecy. donghyuck relented eventually, and showed him his new message with a bright, excited, child-like smile that mark had grown to want- no, need- like the sun.

_ they’re pretty cool, right? i know a lot more artists like them, if you wanna see. _

mark blinked at the message before gently taking the whiteboard from donghyuck’s hands. he wrote his own message, small and brief, on the bottom of the beautiful, bubbly, and big message that donghyuck wrote.

_ yeah, that’d be nice. _ mark paused, thoughts quickly blitzing around his head in another internal argument. he swallowed a bit before adding onto the brief response.  _ how can i contact you? to get the artists. _

donghyuck took the tablet back and smiled to himself. mark could’ve sworn he saw the face of apollo and heard the angelic choirs of the muses. donghyuck’s cheeks were like dumplings, and his smile adorable and completely innocent and youthful. donghyuck was not only apollo, but he must’ve been aphrodite as well.

_ well, i’ll give you my number, for one. _

mark’s heart lurched simultaneously into his throat and into his stomach. donghyuck was only giving him his number for music recommendations (that, ultimately, mark would never listen to), but his heart still soared and dropped to the soles of his feet. he could only nod, dumb and quiet as donghyuck grabbed his arm. pen in hand, donghyuck pulled up the sleeve to mark’s hoodie (to which mark had no protests, despite his distaste of physical touch) and scribbled down his phone number. donghyuck smiled, radiant as the sun even in the dead cold of night, and mark felt both warm and conflicted. he had met donghyuck only a month ago, and here he was, getting his number as he stood in the midst of a rock concert with deaf musicians.

perhaps it was a good thing he allowed yoon oh to drag him to this function so easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi loves!
> 
> hope you enjoyed this chapter:) i'm aiming to upload this fic daily until its completion, so please stay tuned.


	3. you imbeciles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mlee99:  
> are you mocking my hahas lee donghyuck?
> 
>  
> 
> deafhyuck_:  
> and what if i am Fool  
> i will Face God and Walk Backwards into Hell

normally, mark adored his music history class. the class was (obviously) one of the less taken classes, but mark found that all the more gratifying. he had read somewhere that the reason secret menus were so popular was because man had an innate attraction to the concept of being a part of something, and that secret menus gave people that gratification of being in on some kind of “group” (that is, those who know their way around secret menus) for a relatively low cost. mark could only assume that applied to not just pink drinks, but everyday interactions such as his college classes.

and then, he found himself thinking about donghyuck again.

really, it wasn’t his fault. today, his music history class was analyzing the historical impact on vivaldi’s _four seasons_ , and mark found it thoroughly and utterly stupid for two reasons. one: he hated vivaldi’s work. he found it repetitive, bland, and anything but stimulating. vivaldi was one of those composers that mark found overrated, and he couldn’t perceive how his quote-unquote “music” could attract the masses. two: his mind was somewhere else.

he had an admittedly catchy hook stuck in his head from the very extensive, very thorough spotify playlist donghyuck had sent him. he couldn’t concentrate- he couldn’t focus on whatever monotone sadness mr. lee was rambling off about. he just kept swaying to the imaginary beat, tapping the heavy bass part that he had memorized (or, as he liked to phrase it, that he happened to pick up over the course of the song) on his desk. he couldn’t help it. donghyuck had him hooked onto something, and the thought made him uncomfortable. he had always thought himself to be at the vanguard of the music industry, with his multitude of compositions, but the impossibly-but-possibly functional bands that donghyuck had introduced him to had proved him wrong. he hadn’t been proved wrong in a while.

mark sighed as his mind flew a white flag. he couldn’t bring himself to listen to this damn vivaldi lecture anymore. if anything, he would take notes from his good friend (ok, so maybe said friend was more of an acquaintance), dejun xiao, who sat in the front. he fished his phone, a ruined-to-pretty-much-disrepair iphone, out of the front pockets of his joggers, and he found himself subconsciously opening his instagram dms to click on one username. he smiled a bit to himself, perhaps stupidly, as he read the conversation from last night.

 

**deafhyuck_**

no i used to go out with all the time when  i was with my friends norenmin and we get looks all the time but tb h? by now?? we’re all Used To It.

**mlee99**

norenmin?

**deafhyuck_**

they’re my best friends from the residential school lmaooo. they’re all gay for each other but. you didn’t hear it from me. no sirree.

**mlee99**

you all went to a residential school?

**deafhyuck_**

yep. i was student body president and on the basketball team with jeno:).

koby byrant is Quivering

**mlee99**

don’t you mean kobe* bryant

**deafhyuck_**

i said what i said Fool

**mlee99**

haha well im gonna go get ready for bed now

**deafhyuck_**

It’s 12:23 am sir

**mlee99**

im tired?

**deafhyuck_**

you’re weak that’s what you are

**mlee99**

good night, donghyuck

**deafhyuck_**

good night mister seagull<3

 

mark smiled at the conversation, his eyes lighting up at the affectionate pet name that was given to him by donghyuck. whenever donghyuck texted him, mark found that a blossom of warmth often bloomed in his chest and spread to each capillary in his fingers and toes, and to his head, too. donghyuck did things to him, and while mark was still unsure what they were, he had slowly begun to be accustomed to them. perhaps that was the reason that he was less tentative in sending donghyuck another text.

**mlee99**

hi donghyuck

mark waited only a beat before donghyuck answered.

**deafhyuck_**

hello mr seagull:)

how is you

mark smiled and made himself as comfortable as possible in the hard, wooden chair of his classroom. he looked up for a beat, making sure that he wasn’t missing anything that would be on the next assignment, before looking back down into his lap.

 

**mlee99**

how are you* and im good, you?

**deafhyuck_**

mark lee when will you understand that i am incompetent

i will put it into tiny words for youw witte baby bwain to undewstand

I’m a Not Genius

**mlee99**

yeah i missed you too donghyuck

wyd?

**deafhyuck_**

my friends just landed for the holidays from gallaudet university uwu

literally everybody besides the Tiny Man Huang Renjun

so i’m gonna go to lunch w/ them

**mlee99**

that’s interesting. where’s gallaudet?

**deafhyuck_**

washington d.c.!!

also have you been listening to that playlist i gave you;))

**mlee99**

yeah of course

i have a couple questions about that

**deafhyuck_**

ask your Qs and they will get As mr mark

**mlee99**

how do you even find these guys?

you’re profoundly deaf right?

**deafhyuck_**

yeah i’m deaf in both years

ears* fuck me

but i like to turn up the music and put my hand on the speaker to feel the beat

which is why i’m also going to a rave with my People Soon

im like. fucking Toph from avatar the last airbender

the good cartoon not the movies they made by accident

i feel the Music of the Earth through my body

**mlee99**

so you just kind of scroll around until you find one good rhythmically?

**deafhyuck_**

pretty much yeah

or sometimes my good Pals renjun and jisung will recommend stuff to me

**mlee99**

they’re deaf too?

**deafhyuck_**

nah man they’re codas

like taeyong

**mlee99**

the only coda i know is in music and i assume they’re not musical symbols

**deafhyuck_**

yoon oh was right you are a nerd holy Shit

no they’re children of deaf adults

jaemin+jeno are deaf like me but jeno as cochlear implants

chenle…..that Boy……..

he’s hard of hearing

has* fuck me man

**mlee99**

okay first of all im not a nerd im just a music enthusiast

**deafhyuck** _

that sounds like something a NERD would say

**mlee99**

ok second of all.

are you free during the holidays?

 

mark’s heart rate shot through the roof. that message had practically written itself, and he had idiotically sent it without a second thought. he looked at the message, nothing less of sheer horror plastered on his face. it seemed a bit too late to question what he had just done, so he resigned to worry about another thing: did donghyuck even swing that way? comfort was only barely given when mark considered that he would be used to swinging that way; he was related to lee taeyong, for goodness sake.

donghyuck lee was making him do things that he would never fathom of doing, and mark lee hated that.

 

**deafhyuck_**

injun is flying in from cali, so i’m gonna host him in Mi Shitty Casa over the break

but we can definitely hang out!

 

mark stared at the message, and he felt like he had died and ascended to heaven. he put his forehead down on the vandalized and scratched desk for a moment, allowing himself to recuperate after that experience. he swore on the divine powers that be- his life had flashed before his eyes in the thirty seconds that it took donghyuck to respond. he took a minute to catch himself before he sat up straight, glancing at a confused teacher’s assistant for a bit before awkwardly smiling. he then looked back down to his lap, and quickly fashioned a response.

 

**mlee99**

yeah, that’d be cool! maybe not a concert because i’m broke, but maybe coffee?

**deafhyuck_**

that sounds awesome! or, if you’re not spending christmas eve with anybody, you can come over to Mi Shitty Casa to celebrate with my friends and i!

renjun and jisung will translate for you:)

unless you wanna learn asl in two weeks :0

 

mark stopped for a bit. learn sign language? he could hardly speak korean, and donghyuck was proposing he learn another language? it was absurd-

**mlee99**

i would love that, actually haha

mark was burying his own grave.

 

**deafhyuck_**

have i ever told you how much i love you

okay we can meet sometime/multiple times this week to learn asl?? so you can at least like. introduce yourself into My Language

haha 

**mlee99**

are you mocking my hahas lee donghyuck?

**deafhyuck_**

and what if i am Fool

i will Face God and Walk Backwards into Hell

**mlee99**

do you wanna go get shake shack and then practice?

**deafhyuck_**

HELL YES I DO

i love you

is this a date

 

mark froze for the third time during the entire conversation. he gulped, rationalizing the situation as he stared at donghyuck’s white message bubble. his icon: the smiling sun. his username: a pun and pride of his disability. his everything. mark stared, his blood pounding into his head, but fading into a deafening silence around him.

donghyuck had already caused change in him.

**mlee99**

if you want it to be, then yes

:)

**deafhyuck_**

can i Marry you

send me the location of the shake shack so know when i need to skrrt skrrt?

**mlee99**

send me your address and i can pick you up

**deafhyuck_**

im literally swooning mark lee

okay just lmk when you want me to be ready by

i gtg bye

**mlee99**

see you later, donghyuckie :)

mark put his phone down face-down, his heart palpitating very audibly. everything else in the room seemed to fade into silent white noise, and mark can only hear what he imagined to be a voice in his head representing the deaf donghyuck. he was swooning. it was a date. he was okay with the concept of them. it was a date. he loves him. it was a date.

mark felt like he was resurrected from the dead.

* * *

 

**deafhyuck_**

LAID EASE

**abcdefghijeno**

here it comes boys 

**ohnana**

hi jeno and i have a table already

**zhongzhongc**

i have yet to get an uber i literally hate new york

**nothuangrenjun**

you all couldn’t wait to eat until i flew in huh

**deafhyuck_**

listen you Plebs

mark lee asked me on a date

 

**nothuangrenjun**

DONGHYUCK HOLY FUCK 

**zhongzhongc**

ITS A CODE RED!!!!!! 

**ohnana**

WAIT THE HEARING GUY THAT TAEYONG INTRODUCED YOU TO

**deafhyuck_**

no you Imbeciles,,,,, mark tuan from junior year changed his name Half and asked me out

YES THE HEARING ONE

im on cloud nine 

**abcdefghijeno**

i’m happy for you donghyuck!!

just be careful with hearing guys

**nothuangrenjun**

Excuse Me

**abcdefghijeno**

not you renjun!!! you and jisung are cut from a different cloth

but my point still stands. he might not understand the entire deaf thing.

i just worry that you’ll get caught up in a misunderstanding, donghyuck.

**deafhyuck_**

jeno i really appreciate the concern but trust me

i trust mark. don’t worry about us.

how would you all like to meet him on christmas eve?

**nothuangrenjun**

should put “interpreting for idiots” on my resume 

**ohnana**

jeno you’ll get to assess him in real time on xmas eve. don’t bust a vein yet

**abcdefghijeno**

why can’t you sign to me instead of texting me

**ohnana**

i’m lazy:((((

**deafhyuck_**

guys he’s taking me to shake shack and then he wants to learn sign

i’ll let you know how it all goes

you Imbeciles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi loves!! thanks for tuning in! i realize now that daily updates are gonna be hard, but i will try hard for you all:')
> 
> thank you for everything that you do! if you have any questions about anything, ask them in the comments.
> 
> remember- there are no problems; only solutions
> 
> <3, angie


End file.
